U.S. patent number 4,588,117 [Application Number 06/688,965] was granted by the patent office on 1986-05-13 for cross rail for vehicle luggage carrier.
Invention is credited to John A. Bott.
United States Patent |
4,588,117 |
Bott |
* May 13, 1986 |
Cross rail for vehicle luggage carrier
Abstract
A cross rail for a luggage carrier system having a cross-section
having a leading edge to diminish wind resistance and a
longitudinally extending channel formed by the interior surfaces of
the cross rail. The cross rail can be roll formed of two different
materials, an outer skin of a more aesthetically pleasing material
and an inner section of a relatively less expensive material. The
cross rail is substantially hollow and includes a support for
maintaining the cross rail from being crushed by normal loads
incident to use with a luggage carrier system.
Inventors: |
Bott; John A. (Grosse Pointe
Shores, MI) |
[*] Notice: |
The portion of the term of this patent
subsequent to February 26, 2002 has been disclaimed. |
Family
ID: |
27047796 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/688,965 |
Filed: |
January 4, 1985 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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483929 |
Apr 11, 1983 |
4501385 |
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355022 |
Mar 5, 1982 |
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171398 |
Jul 23, 1980 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
224/321; 224/325;
224/326 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60R
9/045 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60R
9/00 (20060101); B60R 9/045 (20060101); B60R
009/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;224/321,319,316,322,323,324,325,326,315 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Marcus; Stephen
Assistant Examiner: Voorhees; David
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Harness, Dickey & Pierce
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 483,929 filed Apr.
11, 1983 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,385 which is a continuation of
Ser. No. 355,022 filed Mar. 5, 1982 now abandoned, which is a
continuation Ser. No. 171,398 filed July 23, 1980, abandoned.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In a luggage carrier disposed on a horizontal surface of an
automobile vehicle,
an elongated cross rail member elevated from said surface of said
vehicle having a cross section with a generally oval external
surface configuration, having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a
continuous bottom surface extending from said leading edge to said
trailing edge and disposed on a continuous bottom wall portion, a
pair of continuous upper surfaces disposed on a pair of continuous
upper wall portions, a channel formed between said upper surfaces,
including a first pair of interior surfaces parallel to at least a
portion of said upper surfaces and a second pair of interior
surfaces disposed on a pair of interior walls extending
substantially perpendicularly downwardly one from each of said
first pair of interior surfaces, each of said interior walls
extending from substantially the interior of one of said upper wall
portions into contact with the interior of said continuous bottom
wall, forming an interior bottom surface of said channel along said
bottom wall, and
means for securing said cross rail member to said horizontal
surface of said vehicle, said securing means including a supporting
end portion disposed at each end of said cross rail member having
means adapted to be telescopically engageable with the outer
surfaces of said cross rail member and with said channel formed
between said upper surfaces for engagement of said cross rail
member and each said end portion together, and clamping means
including a plurality of spaced channelled elongated members
secured by support means to said surface of said vehicle and
clampingly adjustably engaging said supporting end portions along
the length of said elongated members.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to vehicle luggage carriers
and more particularly to a new and improved cross rail for vehicle
luggage carriers shown in the applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,658
and Ser. No. 57,346, filed July 13, 1979. More specifically, the
improved cross rail is to be used with luggage carriers of the type
comprising two or more slat-type elements which are fixedly secured
to an exterior horizontal surface of a vehicle, such as the trunk
lid or vehicle roof, and which are permanently attached thereto and
adapted to have ancillary article constraining members removably
and adjustably secured thereto.
The cross rail of the present invention is specifically designed as
an improved cross rail which also incorporates the object of
adjustably securing article restraining members, such as tie downs,
utility bars or rails, to the luggage carrier system, and also may
secure ancillary article carrying equipment, such as ski racks,
bicycle racks and the like to the luggage carrier system.
Wind resistance is a significant consideration in the field of
luggage carriers for vehicles, particularly due to the effect that
wind resistance due to luggage carrier has in decreasing the full
economy of the vehicle to which the luggage carrier is attached.
Thus, another object of the present invention is to provide a cross
rail having a channel to provide the above advantages while also
having a contoured aerodynamic transverse cross-section having a
leading edge to diminish the wind resistance of the cross rail
attendant to the movement of the vehicle. Yet another object is to
provide the above contoured cross-section and the channel while
also providing sufficient strength along the length of the cross
rail to prevent the cross rail from collapsing or crushing under
loads normally carried upon the above described luggage carrier
systems.
A further important consideration in the manufacture of luggage
carriers, and in particular cross rails having all the features of
the present invention, is to provide a cross rail that is
relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install, convenient
to use and also which is durable, aesthetically appealing, and
light in weight. A significant advantage of the construction of the
present invention is that the construction permits the cross rail
to be roll formed with a lamination of two different materials, an
outer skin of an aesthetically appealing relatively more expensive
material and a less expensive inner material.
Other objects and advantages of the instant invention will be
apparent in the following specification, claims and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevated perspective view of one embodiment of the
vehicle luggage carrier of the present invention shown in operative
association with a portion of an automotive vehicle;
FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a slat of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an exploded assembly view of a portion of the luggage
carrier illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an elevated side view of the stanchion of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view of the
cross rail of FIG. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now in detail to the drawings and in particular to FIG.
1, the present invention is illustrated as comprising a luggage
carrier 20 which is operatively associated with a vehicle roof
portion 22 and includes a pair of longitudinally extending,
laterally spaced slats 24 and 26 as described in detail in U.S.
Pat. No. 4,099,658. Referring to FIG. 2, each of these slats
comprises a generally flat lower base portion 28 and a pair of
upstanding, spaced parallel side portions 30, 32 which terminate at
their upper ends in a pair of laterally extending, generally
coplanar arranged flanges numbered 34 and 36, respectively. The
flanges 34, 36 define upper and lower clamping surfaces 38, 40
respectively, and provide the longitudinally extending channel 42.
Each slat 24, 26 is set on a pad 41 and both the pad 41 and the
slat 24 or 26 are mounted to the roof 22.
The luggage carrier 20 further comprises a pair of cross rails,
generally designated by the numeral 44, which extend laterally or
transversely between the slats 24, 26, are spaced upwardly from the
plane of the roof portion 22, and are operatively supported upon
the slats 24, 26 by means of a plurality of four stanchion
assemblies, generally designated by the numeral 46, which are
located one at each end of the cross rails 44. The cross rails 44
are preferably of the aerodynamic cross-sectional shape shown in
FIG. 5 and comprise a substantially elliptical external
cross-sectional configuration, having a leading edge (47 or 48,
depending upon the relationship of the cross rail 44 to the
movement of the vehicle), having a continuous arcuate bottom or
lower portion 49 and a flat upper surface 50 comprised of two
longitudinally extending flats 52 and 54. Flats 52 and 54 have
arcuate portions 56 and 58 attached thereto extending from each of
said flats integrally to the bottom portion 49 at the edges 47 and
48. Between the flats 52 and 54, a track or channel 60 is formed by
the interior surfaces of the cross rail 44 which is coextensive of
the length of the cross rails 44. The track or channel 60 of each
of the cross rails 44 is adapted to receive one or more clamping
plates 62 which may be provided with retainer elements 64 to
prevent longitudinal sliding movement of the clamping plates 62
when associated tie down members 65 or the like have their
downwardly extending externally threaded stud elements 66
disengaged from the threaded bores 68 of the clamping plates 62.
The interior surfaces comprising the channel 60 are interior flats
70 and 72 and downwardly extending rib portions 74 and 76 which
provide support along the cross rail 44 against crushing or
collapse of the cross rail 44 when supporting a heavy load.
The construction of the cross rails 44 of the present invention
permits the use of two different materials as shown in FIG. 5 to
efficiently take advantage of any economy in using a less expensive
inner material for the inner cross rail section 78 without losing
the aesthetic appeal of the more expensive material, which can be
implemented as a skin 80 over the inner section 78. In the
preferred embodiment, although the thickness dimensions may vary,
the inner section 78 is constructed of an inexpensive steel
approximately 0.05 inches thick and the skin 80 is a relatively
more costly metal, such as that marketed under the trademark
Galvaneel, of a thickness on the order of 0.012 to 0.015 inches. A
sheet of each is placed together and roll-formed into the
construction illustrated in FIG. 5.
Each of the stanchion assemblies 46 comprises a stanchion body 82
which may, for example, be fabricated of injection molded plastic
or die-cast metal, and defines a central recess or opening 84
within which an adjustment knob or element 86 is rotatably
disposed. Extending downwardly from the adjustment elements 86 are
externally threaded studs 88 which are threadably engageable with
clamping plates 90 slidably disposed within the slats 24, 26. The
clamping plates 90 cooperate with the elements 86 in adjustably
securing the stanchion assemblies 46 at selected longitudinal
positions along the slats 24, 26. As illustrated in FIG. 4, each of
the stanchion bodies 82 includes an inwardly projecting mounting
portion 92 which is comprised of a boss 93 adapted to be
telescopically received within the adjacent end of the channel 60
of an associated cross rail 44 and an extended sleeve 95 having an
internal contour adapted to telescopically receive the same cross
rail 44. The cross rail 44 is secured to the stanchion 82 at the
sleeve 95 and the boss 93 by means of a suitable screw, bolt or the
like 94 which extends upwardly through an opening 97 in the sleeve
95 and aperture 96 in the adjacent end of the cross rail 44,
whereby the cross rails 44 and stanchion assemblies 46 are
longitudinally adjustable along the slats 24, 26 and are
concomitantly removable therefrom when it is desired to minimize
the structural components of the luggage carrier 20 during periods
of non-use or when the cross rails 44 are not required to
operatively support articles upon the associated vehicle.
Alternatively, the cross rail 44 of the present invention may also
be used as an adjustable cross rail between the side rails of a
luggage carrier similar to that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,465,
and has various other possible applications to many other types of
luggage carrier systems.
It will be seen from the foregoing that the present invention
provides a new and improved luggage carrier which embodies a number
of features not shown in the prior art. In general, the luggage
carrier of the present invention provides an arrangement by which
the luggage or article constraining members may be conveniently
adjusted to accommodate different size articles and may be totally
removed from the carrier during periods of non-use, thereby
minimizing wind noise and wind resistance to the extreme.
Additionally, the luggage carrier of the present invention provides
a construction which diminishes wind noise and wind resistance by
providing cross rails having a more aerodynamic cross-section while
also having the luggage constraining cross rails longitudinally
adjustable, so that loads of various sizes and configurations may
be supported upon the luggage rack. An additional feature of the
present invention resides in the fact that the above advantages may
be combined in the various ancillary article constraining members,
such as ski racks, bike racks, utility boxes, etc., removably
secured to the cross rails in a laterally adjustable manner along
the channel 60, so as to further enlarge the number of potential
uses of the luggage carrier.
* * * * *